The Duncan Download Blog: Business Aviation Advice & Observations

The Avionics Technicians at Duncan Aviation go to great lengths to help customers.

On a snowy Saturday in Lincoln, Nebraska, Manager of Satellite Operations, Matt Nelson, got a call from a customer with an N-registered Embraer Phenom 300 that was AOG in Medellin, Colombia in South America.

The customer had a flight scheduled on Wednesday, but his Phenom needed an RVSM (Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum) inspection before it could fly again. Another company had been scheduled to perform the inspection but had canceled at the last minute, so the inspection date had passed and the customer and his Phenom were AOG.

Edduyn Pita, Manager of the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shop in Atlanta, Georgia, offered to fly to Medellin, Colombia and perform the inspection. First, he had to locate PitoStatic adapters, necessary for the inspection, and he found them at the Duncan Aviation Satellite Avionics Shop in Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City shop Manager, Jeff Aman, shipped the parts, Edduyn received them on Monday, and he flew to Colombia early Tuesday morning with the parts and test equipment.

“As soon as I landed, I went straight to the airport authority where I had to go through extensive security procedures,” says Edduyn. “In addition to passing through top security, I had to watch a 15-minute safety video, sign a bunch of forms, and get a badge. I was also briefed on how to conduct myself at the airport!”

By 4pm that day, Edduyn was working on the Phenom, and he finished the inspection around 9pm. The following morning, he performed a compass swing, which calibrates the compass system, and he signed the Return to Service certification

An hour later, the Phenom was on its way to Miami, Florida, 3 ½ hours away. Before flying back to Atlanta, Edduyn visited a local market, where he sampled wares from a few food vendors. His favorite was bandeja paisa (paisa platter), the national dish of Colombia.

You can download the free Duncan Aviation AOG Services app from iTunes or Google Play before you’re AOG so you can send an AOG request immediately, find tech support 24/7, contact the team or shop nearest you for assistance, and much more (www.DuncanAviation.aero/services/aog).